What is neecha-bhanga raja yoga?

Introduction

Every planet has an exaltation sign and, exactly opposite it, a debilitation sign. The Sun is exalted in Mesha and debilitated in Tula; Mars is exalted in Makara and debilitated in Karka. Tradition treats the debilitation sign as a less comfortable placement.

But the texts do not stop there. They describe when this debilitation is "broken", that is, when its effect is reduced. Such a combination is called neecha-bhanga, and Phaladeepika (ch. 7, verses 26-30) lists these among the raja yogas.

Phaladeepika's conditions

A planet is in its debilitation sign, and one of these holds:

1. The lord of the debilitation sign, or the lord of the planet's exaltation sign, is in a kendra (1, 4, 7, 10) from the lagna or the Moon (7.26, 7.29).
2. The lord of the debilitation sign and the lord of the exaltation sign are in mutual kendras (7.27).
3. The debilitated planet is aspected by the lord of the sign it occupies (7.28). The verse adds that it is rated higher when the debilitated planet is outside the 6th, 8th and 12th.

The translator's notes add two more forms:

• According to some, the planet that is exalted in that sign is in a kendra from the lagna or the Moon.
• The debilitated planet itself is in a kendra from the lagna or the Moon.

An example

Suppose Mars is in Karka, its debilitation sign. Then:

• the lord of Karka is the Moon,
• the lord of Makara, Mars's exaltation sign, is Saturn,
• and the planet exalted in Karka is Jupiter.

If any of these is in a kendra from the lagna or the Moon, or the Moon aspects Mars (a Moon in Makara, the 7th sign from Karka, aspects Karka), a neecha-bhanga condition is met. Raman's How to Judge a Horoscope gives cases like this, such as Mars receiving neecha-bhanga through Jupiter.

Differing views

A note in Hora Sara reports the view of a Telugu work (Jataka Marthanda): only the lagna lord's neecha-bhanga is a true neecha-bhanga raja yoga, not that of other planets. ePandit shows this view as a note.

Remember also that "neecha-bhanga" simply means "the debilitation is cancelled". On its own it does not announce any large outcome. Tradition holds that the matters such a planet governs can recover and grow after an early struggle.

How ePandit shows it

For each debilitated planet ePandit writes:

• the sign in which it is debilitated,
• which neecha-bhanga conditions are met, each with its source (verse or note),
• and, if none is met, simply "no neecha-bhanga condition found". Nothing alarming comes with it, because one planet's placement is only one part of the whole chart.

Neecha-bhanga is not computed for Rahu and Ketu.

Exaltation and debilitation signs

These follow ePandit's facts table, which also holds the exact degrees of deepest exaltation and debilitation.